Ember was a Mac app for collecting design inspiration. Think of it as a visual bookmark manager that stored screenshots, web captures, and images in organized collections on your Mac. Released by Realmac Software in the early 2010s, Ember gained a devoted following among designers before being discontinued in the late 2010s.

Key Specs

Price	$49.99 one-time (no longer available)
Platform	Mac only (macOS 10.14 and earlier)
Best for	Local image libraries, design inspiration, screenshot management
Learning curve	15 minutes to basic competence

How Designers Used Ember

Before cloud tools dominated, Ember filled a specific need for designers building local inspiration libraries.

For Building Moodboards and Inspiration Libraries

Drag images from anywhere (Finder, browser, Photoshop) into Ember. Tag them with keywords like “minimalist,” “blue,” or “dashboard.” Create smart collections that auto-populate based on tags. When starting a new project, search your library instead of scrolling Pinterest for hours. Ember’s speed came from local storage: no uploading, no syncing delays, instant search across thousands of images.

For Capturing Web Design Screenshots

Install Ember’s browser extension for Chrome or Safari. Click the extension icon to capture the entire webpage at your current browser width. Ember saves it with the site URL, making it easy to reference later. Designers researching navigation patterns or layout trends used this to build swipe files of competitor sites and design inspiration without relying on bookmarks that break when sites redesign.

For Annotating and Giving Feedback

Import a screenshot, enter annotation mode, and draw arrows or add text notes directly on the image. Save the annotated version and share it with teammates or clients. This was faster than opening Photoshop or Skitch for quick markups. Designers doing client reviews used Ember to mark up mockups before more formal tools like InVision existed.

For Organizing Design Assets

Store app icon designs, logo iterations, stock photos, and texture libraries in Ember. Use collections to group related assets. Apply color tags and star ratings to mark favorites. The app’s Mac-native file browser made it easy to drag assets into Photoshop, Sketch, or presentations. Designers treated Ember like a visual Finder for design files.

Ember vs. Current Alternatives

Since Ember is discontinued, here’s how modern tools compare:

Feature	Ember	Eagle	Raindrop.io	Inboard
Price	$49.99 (discontinued)	$29.95 one-time	Free + $28/year Pro	$49.99 one-time
Platform	Mac only	Mac, Windows	Web, all platforms	Mac only
Storage	Local files	Local files	Cloud	Local files
Screenshot capture	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in	⚠️ Browser only	✅ Built-in
Browser extension	✅ Chrome, Safari	✅ Chrome, Edge	✅ All browsers	✅ Chrome, Safari
Annotations	✅ Yes	⚠️ Limited	❌ No	❌ No
Tags & smart folders	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes

Use Eagle if: You want the closest Ember replacement with local storage, powerful tagging, and cross-platform support (if you ever switch to Windows).

Use Raindrop.io if: You mainly bookmark web links rather than saving full images, and prefer cloud syncing across devices.

Use Inboard if: You’re staying on Mac, want tight integration with design tools, and value a polished native app over cross-platform compatibility.

What Happened to Ember

Realmac Software stopped development around 2018 as the market shifted. Pinterest, Are.na, and Notion offered free cloud-based alternatives that didn’t require upfront payment or local storage management. Apple’s own macOS architecture changes (64-bit requirements, Apple Silicon transition) would have required significant rewrites.

The broader lesson: single-purchase Mac apps struggle when free cloud services and subscription models dominate. Ember’s $50 one-time fee felt expensive compared to free Pinterest or $10/month Notion that did more than just image storage.

Alternatives for Design Inspiration Management

Here’s where former Ember users migrated:

For local, offline storage:

• Eagle ($29.95) is the spiritual successor with similar UI and features
• Inboard ($49.99) for Mac users who want native performance
• Pixave (discontinued but similar, check for alternatives)

For cloud-based, cross-device:

• Raindrop.io for bookmarking with image previews
• Notion databases with embedded images
• Milanote for visual moodboards and project organization

For screenshot-specific workflows:

• CleanShot X ($29/year) for advanced screenshot capture and annotation
• Shottr (free) for quick screenshots with markup on Mac
• macOS built-in screenshots (Cmd+Shift+4) paired with Finder tags

For design-specific collections:

• Figma Community for UI design inspiration
• Dribbble Collections for curated design shots
• Are.na for research and moodboarding with sharing

The key difference: modern tools separate capture (screenshots, bookmarks) from organization (Notion, Milanote) rather than combining both like Ember did. Choose tools that match your workflow instead of expecting one app to do everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Realmac Software shifted focus to other products like RapidWeaver. Ember required ongoing macOS compatibility updates as Apple changed system architectures, and the market shifted toward cloud-based tools like Pinterest and Notion that offered free alternatives to paid desktop apps.

Eagle ($29.95 one-time) is the closest replacement with similar features: local file storage, tagging, folders, and screenshot capture. Raindrop.io (free/$28/year) works if you mainly save web links. Inboard ($49.99) if you need tight integration with design tools and prefer Mac-native apps.

Only on older Macs running macOS Catalina or earlier. Ember isn’t compatible with modern macOS versions (Big Sur onward) and won’t receive updates to fix compatibility issues. If you have an Ember library, export your images and migrate to a supported tool before upgrading macOS.

Ember stored images in folders on your hard drive (check Preferences > Library Location). Copy those files to Eagle, Inboard, or any new tool. Your tags and annotations were stored in Ember’s database, so you’ll need to re-tag images in your new tool. No direct migration path exists.

Ember combined local file storage (not cloud-dependent) with powerful organization (tags, smart folders, annotations) and seamless macOS integration (screenshot capture, browser extensions). It felt like Apple could have made it. Modern alternatives often compromise on one of these aspects.